Welcome to LALos Angeles is a city carved out of the desert – a conjured image of paradise. These are the stories of people who learn what lies beyond the dream – yacht parties with theremin makers that end on the rocks, low-budget filmmaking that blurs the line between truth and fiction, movie stars and Hollywood hopefuls whose stories seem too crazy to be true. Welcome to Los Angeles.

Lost NotesThe greatest music stories never told. Explore the amazing stories of how 60s rock hit “Louie, Louie” triggered an FBI investigation, the outlaw Brooklyn radio station WBAD that tracked the rise of 90s hip hop, and the man who went from Folsom Prison inmate to Johnny Cash’s bandmate.

To the PointA weekly reality-check on the issues Americans care about most. Host Warren Olney draws on his decades of experience to explore the people and issues shaping – and disrupting - our world. How did everything change so fast? Where are we headed? The conversations are informal, edgy and always informative. If Warren's asking, you want to know the answer.

FROM THIS EPISODE

It's increasingly clear that the Obama Administration will use military action to punish Syria for its use of chemical weapons, but what will that mean? We look at the military options and whether they'd make things better or worse? Also, millions of Syrian refugees are flooding into neighboring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey -- and now Iraq. What's the impact on those countries?

In the Southeast Asian nation of Brunei today, Chuck Hagel was asked if the Pentagon is ready for action in Syria. The Defense Secretary responded that after getting the facts and intelligence, a decision will be made on what action, if any, should be taken. He emphasized that if the order comes, the US is ready to go. How does the increasing likelihood of military action in Syria look to the American public? Scott Clement is a survey research analyst with the Washington Post Media Group.

Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday that Syria's use of chemical weapons is "undeniable," a "moral obscenity" and a violation of international law. He added, "The President will be making an informed decision about how to respond... President Obama believes there must be accountability." By drawing a "red line," the Obama Administration has set the stage for some kind of military action. Advocates say it's a matter of "credibility" to make good on a threat -- with Iran and other adversaries closely watching. But what could make a difference to Bashar al-Assad, without drawing the US into yet another implacable civil war? Have so-called "limited actions" really worked in the past? How much will be tolerated by a war-weary American public?

In two years, the Syrian civil war has killed at least 100,000 people. Some two million more have registered as refugees. Hundreds of thousands are in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, almost half of them children. We hear where they're going and the impact they're having from Tim Arango of the New York Times and Cassandra Nelson of Mercy Corps.